Abbas may lose US money for praising yeshiva butcher

Monday, March 10, 2008 |
by Staff Writer

The largest Palestinian daily newspaper, which is directly controlled and funded by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' regime, hailed last week's killer of eight Jerusalem yeshiva student as a "holy martyr" in a prominent front-page story.

Israeli media analysts noted that the official positive commemoration of the terrorist may further postpone the delivery of promised US economic aid to Abbas' Palestinian Authority.

Last week prior to the Jerusalem shooting, the US Congress had already put a temporary hold on the transfer of funds to the Palestinians fearing American taxpayers' dollars were still bankrolling terrorism and anti-Israel incitement.

The weekend headline in the Palestinian Authority-controlled daily newspaper Al Hayat Al Jadida left no doubt that the Abbas government continues to encourage terrorism against Israel, wrote Palestinian Media Watch Director Itamar Marcus.

Marcus noted that a Foreign Operations Bill recently adopted by Congress makes it illegal to transfer funds to the Palestinians that could "be made available for the purpose of recognizing or otherwise honoring individuals who commit, or have committed acts of terrorism."

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